The Man Who Switched Careers to Race Cars
In the photo above, that's Ken Block standing with me at the top of Park City Mountain. In 1994, Ken co-founded DC Shoes, which he then sold in 2004 to Quiksilver for $87 million. The sale gave him a boatload of cash and thus the space to ask what he wanted to do next. His answer was simple: race cars.
He turned out to be pretty damn good at it; in 2005, he was named Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship. But Ken confesses to having "marketing on the brain" and as his racing career took off, he never stopped thinking about how to engage others. This is what he came up with:
Actually, that's Gymkhana Two, the second video in a series that is about to reach ten. It's loaded with product placements (DC Shoes, Subaru, etc.) but has enough bold visuals to have attracted 50 million views.
The series has become so popular that Amazon is funding an eight-episode series called The Gymkhana Files, which chronicles the making of Gymkhana 10. Gil Marsden, who directs the series, also joined us at Park City, in a brave attempt to keep up with Ken on a snowboard (Gil films more than he boards).
Let me stop and recap our journey so far...
Ken builds company, sells company, makes a truckload of money, becomes race car driver... and then discovers he is really good at making viral videos.
He goes to sponsors, and essentially says: my stories can sell more shoes/cars/whatever than all the lists of product features and benefits you can muster. He's right.
The reason I tell you this is because most of us never give ourselves the chance to consider going outside of the box.
My theory about why Ken is so successful is because he doesn't even see the box.
Skiing behind Ken, I saw him hit every corner, dip, and bump he could find. He even ducked into the woods before the lack of snow cover reached up and grabbed his board. He didn't see "the trail." He saw everything.
Personally, I'm looking forward to The Gymkhana Files, because much as I try to think and act more creatively (and boldly), society has a way of pushing us back into boxes. Guys like Ken remind us to fight back.
Bruce Kasanoff is a social media ghostwriter. He is the co-author of I Am: Escape Distractions, Unlock Your Imagination & Unleash Your Potential.
??A MacGyver for CEOs who want to save money, make money, stay out of trouble, & have FUN??
6 年Cool example of continual discovery & asking the question, “What if?” while putting action to the dreaming. Thanks Bruce Kasanoff
If his snowboarding skills are as good as his driving skills, you must have had some great rides!!! Ski-Car Racing... Luc Alphand went from being several times ski world champion in the 90s to a winner of the Paris Dakar car race. But I doubt he's ever reached this level of control... More and more we see athletes or unknown people do crazy things in the hope of gathering millions of views on YouTube... Or sponsored by one brand. If you loved this video, and are a big ski fan, then you will also love the short movies by Candide Thovex. "One of those days...". He is not a multi millionnaire, but one if not the best free rider in the world, pationnate of course, and sponsored by... another car manufacturer. Enjoy
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6 年Impresive
Human Resources Director at NSL Analytical Services, Inc.
6 年Awesome share...the power of perspective! The glass isn't half full or half empty, it's the wrong size.
Driving Transformational Change with Salesforce, AI and Intelligent Data Strategies | Traveler | Car Guy | Dreamer
6 年Post like this make me miss Park City and remember the amazing 10 years I spent there.... Hope to move back one day.